January 19, 2015

The OHL 10

I’d love to see the OHL expand to 25 teams. For fun, here is how it would break down in five divisions (before piling on, this is a fun list, not saying these cities are getting teams).

West: Flint, Saginaw, Sarnia, Windsor, Chatham

Central: Kitchener, London, Owen Sound, Guelph, Mississauga

South: Erie, Niagara, Brantford, Burlington, Buffalo

North: Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, North Bay, Barrie, Timmins

East: Ottawa, Peterborough, Belleville, Kingston, Oshawa

Playing every team in your division six times and a home and home with the rest would give you 64 games. Another two each with a pair of close rivals makes it 68 tilts.

Of course, the league could tailor schedules to alleviate travel concerns for some clubs such as Barrie, Oshawa and some northern teams to keep costs and travel time down.

A team in Timmins may be a big stretch, but I’d love to see another Northern Ontario squad.

Other towns on the radar — Cornwall, upstate New York and, gulp, one in the GTA, say Vaughan?

2. The Kitchener Rangers are seventh in the OHL’s western conference. But the club has had success against the best four teams in the league having defeated Erie twice, the Soo in its sole meeting this season and Oshawa and Barrie once.

3. It’s taking London's Max Domi a while to rediscover his OHL groove. Three points in four games is nothing to scoff at but Domi was on a torrid pace (57 points in 27 games) before leaving for the world junior championships.

4. Sometimes, trades just work out for both teams.

Niagara before the Josh Ho-Sang trade: 5-13, after 13-8-2-2.

Windsor before trading Ho-Sang: 6-10-1-0 and after 12-13-0-1.

I believe that’s what you call a deal that both clubs won.

5. So some anonymous person — fan? — left a note on the car of Mississauga Steelheads owner Elliott Kerr.

It was so bad that Kerr had to post a public reply that read, in part: “Someone left a note on my car after yesterday’s game. Whoever you are, you scared my children. I am so upset about this, that I am seriously considering not attending games anymore with my family.”

It’s pure crazy. There is no other way to put it.

As some of my Twitter followers have pointed out, there is nothing more cowardly than leaving anonymous notes.

It reminds me groups on Twitter calling themselves insiders. One nameless crew contacts players about trade rumours, throws names of teenagers around the internet with little regard to facts or feelings and does it all, of course, without using a real world name.

Talk about bravery.

Opinions are awesome, the more different the better. But at least have the courage to put your name next to your words.

6. Here’s hoping that the new Flint Whalers - or whatever the team is going to be called - keep Plymouth media guy/jack-of-all-trades Peter Krupsky on board. He’s an asset to the franchise.

7. After October the Belleville Bulls were 10-3 and owned one of the best records in junior hockey. Since they are 9-15-3-3 and falling fast in the eastern conference. That’s why you play 68 games folks.

8. It has gotta be hard to be a Sudbury Wolves fan, player and coach. The team has dropped 12 straight and hasn’t won since Dec. 13. The pack was doing OK there for a bit and only losing games by one goal. But it’s getting one-sided now with opponents winning by three or more goals in the past three games.

9. Kitchener has gone to the shootout nine times this season, good for second in the OHL (Owen Sound is first with 10). Surprisingly, Gustaf Franzen, who is one of the better Rangers with the puck, is 0-for-5 in shootout attempts.

The Attack’s Petrus Palmu leads the league with 10 shootout attempts. He has scored four times. Mississauga’s Sam Babinstev is the go-to guy in the OHL with a perfect 4-for-4 record in the saw-off.

10. I felt for my namesake on Friday after the defenceman fought Kitchener’s Max Iafrate at the Aud. Us Josh Browns have to stick together.

Comments

I’d love to see the OHL expand to 25 teams. For fun, here is how it would break down in five divisions (before piling on, this is a fun list, not saying these cities are getting teams).

West: Flint, Saginaw, Sarnia, Windsor, Chatham

Central: Kitchener, London, Owen Sound, Guelph, Mississauga

South: Erie, Niagara, Brantford, Burlington, Buffalo

North: Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, North Bay, Barrie, Timmins

East: Ottawa, Peterborough, Belleville, Kingston, Oshawa

Playing every team in your division six times and a home and home with the rest would give you 64 games. Another two each with a pair of close rivals makes it 68 tilts.

Of course, the league could tailor schedules to alleviate travel concerns for some clubs such as Barrie, Oshawa and some northern teams to keep costs and travel time down.

A team in Timmins may be a big stretch, but I’d love to see another Northern Ontario squad.

Other towns on the radar — Cornwall, upstate New York and, gulp, one in the GTA, say Vaughan?

2. The Kitchener Rangers are seventh in the OHL’s western conference. But the club has had success against the best four teams in the league having defeated Erie twice, the Soo in its sole meeting this season and Oshawa and Barrie once.

3. It’s taking London's Max Domi a while to rediscover his OHL groove. Three points in four games is nothing to scoff at but Domi was on a torrid pace (57 points in 27 games) before leaving for the world junior championships.

4. Sometimes, trades just work out for both teams.

Niagara before the Josh Ho-Sang trade: 5-13, after 13-8-2-2.

Windsor before trading Ho-Sang: 6-10-1-0 and after 12-13-0-1.

I believe that’s what you call a deal that both clubs won.

5. So some anonymous person — fan? — left a note on the car of Mississauga Steelheads owner Elliott Kerr.

It was so bad that Kerr had to post a public reply that read, in part: “Someone left a note on my car after yesterday’s game. Whoever you are, you scared my children. I am so upset about this, that I am seriously considering not attending games anymore with my family.”

It’s pure crazy. There is no other way to put it.

As some of my Twitter followers have pointed out, there is nothing more cowardly than leaving anonymous notes.

It reminds me groups on Twitter calling themselves insiders. One nameless crew contacts players about trade rumours, throws names of teenagers around the internet with little regard to facts or feelings and does it all, of course, without using a real world name.

Talk about bravery.

Opinions are awesome, the more different the better. But at least have the courage to put your name next to your words.

6. Here’s hoping that the new Flint Whalers - or whatever the team is going to be called - keep Plymouth media guy/jack-of-all-trades Peter Krupsky on board. He’s an asset to the franchise.

7. After October the Belleville Bulls were 10-3 and owned one of the best records in junior hockey. Since they are 9-15-3-3 and falling fast in the eastern conference. That’s why you play 68 games folks.

8. It has gotta be hard to be a Sudbury Wolves fan, player and coach. The team has dropped 12 straight and hasn’t won since Dec. 13. The pack was doing OK there for a bit and only losing games by one goal. But it’s getting one-sided now with opponents winning by three or more goals in the past three games.

9. Kitchener has gone to the shootout nine times this season, good for second in the OHL (Owen Sound is first with 10). Surprisingly, Gustaf Franzen, who is one of the better Rangers with the puck, is 0-for-5 in shootout attempts.

The Attack’s Petrus Palmu leads the league with 10 shootout attempts. He has scored four times. Mississauga’s Sam Babinstev is the go-to guy in the OHL with a perfect 4-for-4 record in the saw-off.

10. I felt for my namesake on Friday after the defenceman fought Kitchener’s Max Iafrate at the Aud. Us Josh Browns have to stick together.